May We Forever Stand: A History of the Black National Anthem by Imani Perry (review)

In his autobiography Along This Way (1933), James Weldon Johnson describes "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (also known as the Black National Anthem) as one of his and his brother Rosamond's greatest accomplishments. Inspired by the invitation to deliver an address at a Lincoln Day celebration at the Stanton School in Jacksonville, Florida in 1900, James wrote a poem that Rosamond then set to music; the idea was that it would be sung by a chorus of schoolchildren. Johnson considered the anthem evidence of the brothers' ability to create art that could move audiences spiritually and emotionally. With the song's popularity offering evidence of their talent, the duo moved from Jacksonville, Florida to New York City to try their luck. Johnson writes, "[John Rosamond's] enthusiasm roused my curiosity about this new world into which he had had a peep, and I became, as I had at time before and have many times since, keenly aware of the love of venture that runs in me, a deep, strong current" (146). The decision to leave all that was familiar in search of greater opportunity was both deeply personal and reflective of a national trend. Like other members of what would come to be known as the Great Migration from the rural South to cities in the North and Midwest, the brothers sought social advancement and personal freedom. The risk paid off. As "race men," their professional successes in the arts—and for James Weldon in literature, diplomacy, education, and social activism—embodied the aspirations and ambitions of the "New Negro" of the 1910s and '20s.

In May We Forever Stand: A History of the Black National Anthem, Imani Perry argues that this spirit infuses the lyrics of "Lift Every Voice" and accounts for its almost instantaneous popularity as it was frequently performed in African American schools, churches, and civic gatherings. Citing Johnson's autobiography, Perry asserts that "the song quickly became popular among young people in Jacksonville and spread from there" (12-13). Calling it "a lament and encomium to the story of and struggle of black people," the author offers a well-researched, thoughtful, and compelling examination of how the song has come to be so firmly woven into the fabric of African American life (7). Perry makes explicit what Johnson's autobiography implies: that the song captures the essences of black history and black consciousness. "Textually," she writes, "the song is filled with [Johnson's] political imagination. It is a march toward liberation" (19).

With elegance and lucidity, Perry chronicles the history of "Lift Every Voice" beginning with its 1900 composition for elementary school-aged children to perform at a commemoration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday. The evolving relevance of the song to Perry's extended family, rooted in Alabama and spanning several generations and multiple locations, illustrates its elasticity: "Four generations of my family, at least, have lived with this anthem. Each generation, each individual, knows this song in a distinctive manner. We discovered it in our coming of age and in the varied orbits of our lives" (xii). Perry introduces her study with a personal anecdote that culminates with the image of her elementary school-aged, suburban-raised son's leading several generations of family elders—fists raised in a black power salute—in a round of "Lift Every Voice."

By following the song's trajectory from performances at family reunions, in African American churches, social clubs, and civic organizations, where it is still sung regularly to open events and programs, as well as in Carnegie Hall and the Oval Office, Perry meditates on the myriad of forces that have allowed "blackness" to cohere across time and space. The story of "Lift Every Voice" provides a framework for her portrayal of those individuals who sang its lyrics, and the social and political contexts that drew them together. Throughout, Perry demonstrates the song's expression of the "march toward liberation...